Pipe vise



' s. 1.1. RUTKA PIPE VISE Filed March 1'7, 1944 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 9, 1946 2 UNITED STATE PIPnyrsE v; Stanley J. Rutka, Gheen, Minn. Application March 17, 1944, seria ize. 526,962

This invention relates to an improved vise and has. special reference to that typeof vise used by plumbers or the like and known as a pipe vise. i

i The principal objects sought are strength and simplicity of construction as well as convenience in operation.

Other objects and advantages may appear in the further description of the invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application and in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Fig. l is a front elevation of one of the improved vises with portions thereof broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmental rear elevation showing the auxiliary adjusting means.

In the drawing l represents the flat base portion of the device which preferably extend from one sid thereof for convenient attachment to the top of a workbench or the like in any desired manner.

2 and 3 represent the like spaced side members of the body portion they being fixed in any desired manner or possibly formed integral with the base I preferably adjacent one edge thereof.

These side members are formed upon their upper edges with the concaved arcuate toothed saddle portion 4 as is common in such devices and have journalled within the uppermost forward ends thereof the horizontal shaft 5 which extends outwardl at both ends from the side members 2 and 3.

Upon these end extensions of the shaft 5 and by squaring thereof as at 6 are nonrotatably mounted the cams l and'a, they each being held thereupon by any suitable form of axially disposed screw or bolt and washer as suggested at 9.

Fixed upon the shaft 5 outwardly of the cam 1 8, is the operating lever 10 which may be any desired length and preferably somewhat offset forwardly of the center of the shaft when in its uppermost position so as not to engage or obstruct, for example a large object held in the vise.

The clamping and holding member l 1-! l and i2 engaged by the cams I and 8 is of general U- shape and straddles horizontally, from the front thereof, the body of the device with the otherwise free ends of the members H-ll rockably supported upon the protruding ends of the through shaft 13 transverse the lower rear end of the body portion.

The head end I2 of this U-shaped clamping member extends transverseithe front of the b ody and has formed in the face thereof the rectangularly shapedmouth l lyfor the reception ofthe links of the bindingchainlE, after it has been brought over the pipe ,or other object to be held,

v free to move upwardly after engagement as just described, it will be seen that the under face of each extension I8 is slightly concaved as at l9, Fig. 3 of the drawing.

In the back wall ofthe head portion of the U-shaped clamping member is installed an eye bolt 20 for attachment to one end of a suitable contractive helical spring indicated at 2!, its other end being attached to a similar eye-bolt 22 fixed into the underside of the cross-member 23 of the body portion, this connection being for the constant biasing of the free-end of the U- shaped clamping member towards its uppermost position as shown in the drawing.

Auxiliary adjusting means for lengthening or shortening the chain l 5 when needed is installed at the rear of the body portion and intermediate of the side walls thereof, it comprising the vertic-ally installed externally threaded bolt or rod 24 carrying fixed to the upper end thereof the crosshead-like member 25 to which the end of the chain I5 is attached as at 2B. The opposed horizontal extremities of this cross-head are engaged Within the opposed vertical grooves 21-21 in the side Walls 2 and 3 and the further installation of the bolt 23 comprises the hand or thumb wheel 28 screw-threadedly mounted thereupon below the cross-head 24 and which wheel is sufliciently large in diameter to extend through and slightly beyond the walls 2 and 3 so as to be conveniently manipulated externally of the body portion. Thus when it may occur that the chain is not just the desired length to suitably clamp the object being held, any necessary adjustment of the length of the chain may be made, by proper turning of the wheel 28.

Any desired form of stop or pin as illustrated at may be installed within the forward uppermost outer side walls of the members 2 and 3 so as to occur within the path of the cams I and 8 when in their uppermost idling position and thus limit their throw in that direction.

One quite important feature of the novel assembly of parts of the device here disclosed is that the inclination of the U-shaDed clamping member in relation to the shape and size of the cams 1 and 8 is such as to insuresagainst the cams slipping back to idling position after having been set to holding position upon the: clamping member.

Having thus described one embodiment of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pipe vise of the character described; a

base portion, two spaced upright wall portionsfixed to said base, a shaft journalled within and transverse the upper forward ends of said upright walls, two clamping cam members carried upon the ends of said shaft, one outwardly of each wall, means for rocking saidshaft, a U -shape element rockabl'y supported at the ends of its arms; outwardly of said walls With-the bight portion constitutinga free endextending around the;

end of said wall portions and with the opposite sides of the 'freeend engageable by said cams, means for constantl-ybiasing said free-end toward said cams, and a binding chain fixed at one end intermediate of said walls and selectively attachable at the other end to the free end of said rockable element intermediate of said cams whereby when said shaft and cams are rotated, an object may be clamped upon the upper edges of said walls.

2. In a pipe vise of the character described; a base portion, two spaced upright wall portions fixed to said base, a shaft journalled Within and transverse the upper forward endsofsaid upright walls two clamping cam; members carried upon the ends of said shaft, one outwardly of each wall,

means for rocking said shaft, a U-shape element rockably supported at the ends of its arms upon a transverse shaft protruding through said walls in the diagonally opposite corner thereof to said first mentioned shaft and with the bight portion constituting a free end extending around the end of said: wall portions and with the opposite sides of the free end thereof engageable by said cams, means for constantly urging. said engagement, and a binding chain fixed at one end intermediate of said walls adjacent the pivotal connection of said U-shape element and selectively attach- STANLEY J. RUTKA. 

